Implants, such as dental implants, are well known in the art. They generally consist of a material, which is biocompatible and which additionally has favourable mechanical properties.
In addition, it is required that the dental implant provides good osseointegration.
The term “osseointegration” designates the direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of the load-bearing implant. A good osseointegration means that the implant, after reaching a primary stability by screwing it into the bone, safely ossifies within a short healing time so that a permanent bond between implant and bone is obtained.
In the infancy of modern implantology a turned, minimally rough surface was the gold standard. Later, an increase to moderately rough surfaces led to faster and firmer osseointegration in several experimental studies using various animal models.
A breakthrough technology in the development of highly osseointegrative dental implants is the so-called “SLA” process, involving sandblasting the implant's surface followed by acid-etching to achieve an optimal topography for the attachment of bone cells.
Based on the “SLA” technology, the so-called “SLActive” surface was developed, which further comprises conditioning the “SLA” surface either in nitrogen or in an isotonic saline solution, thereby maintaining the high hydrophilicity of the “SLA” surface which would otherwise be lost due to reaction with the atmosphere.